Friday, August 11, 2017

Lost in Oz, Chapter 8: The Sticks

This was an episode very much about confidence and finding your own destiny, as both West and Ojo go through some interesting trials. About to hand over the Pearl of Pingaree, West decides to stand up to Langwidere and says no. Langwidere likes Wests confidence so much that she takes West's confidence, and then persuades West to give her the Pearl. West leaves the club dejected, and Dorothy doesn't know how to help her. The next night, on stakeout, the kids fall asleep, but Scarecrow picks up some information: Langwidere lives in the Sticks. The gang heads out there, to a place literally made of sticks, with the intention of confronting Langwidere about getting the Pearl and West's confidence back. Instead, they find Glinda! She's powerless to help them without magic, so Dorothy throws back her shoulders and says she'll get it. On their way back, however, Dorothy, Toto, and Scarecrow get sucked into a quickstick pit, and it's up to West to rescue them. (Tellingly, even though Glinda is watching, she does nothing to help.) She may lack confidence, but West pulled it off and pulled them out, thus gaining newfound confidence. They head back to the Yellow Brick Line to look for Fitz and the magic—where Ojo meets them, now determined to forge his own path. His mother, Margolette (!), convinces his father that Ojo's meant for bigger things than just farming, and his dad comes around and lets Ojo do what he wants.

One really nice Easter egg was the new teacher: Professor Wogglebug. This version is still only the size of a bug, so she (yes, she) needs a projector and microphone to be seen and heard. But sure enough, it was confirmed in the credits that the character is indeed the Lost in Oz version of Professor Wogglebug.

During my Emerald City reviews, my question "Where's the Lion?" became a running gag, before they finally revealed who it was. So now I'm going to start asking, where's the Tin Man?